Apparatus for rolling cigar fillers



Oct. 29, 1963 G. H. GEYEIR APPARATUS FOR ROLLING cram FILLERS Filed June 15, 1961 IN VEN TOR:

Ge r hard. Herbert Ge e r nited States 3,108,601 APPARATUS FOR RGLLTNG CKGAR FTLLERS Gerhard Herbert Geyer, Dresden, Germany, assignor to VEB Tabalrund Industriemaschinen Dresden, Dresden, Germany Filed June 15, 1961, Ser. No. 117,349 6 Claims. (Ell. 131-56) The present invention relates to apparatus for rolling cigar fillers or the like as used in cigar rolling machines. In particular the present invention is concerned with such apparatus for conical cigar fillers having a substantial taper.

According to the invention, rigid, truncated conical roller pins are used. These roller pinshave a taper su'bstantimly equal to the taper of the cigar filler to be treated. These roller pins are so oriented that their wide ends face the same direction as the wide end of the cigar filler, while their truncated ends face the same direction as the narrow end of the cigar filler. Thus it will be seen that the larger peripheries of the roller pins contact the larger peripheries of the cigar filler, whereby the angular velocities imparted to the cigar filler by the roller pins are equal throughout the contacted area of the cigar filler.

The axes of rotation of the roller pins do not extend parallel to one another but are closer together at the narrower ends of the roller pins. Thus the effective areas of the roller pins, i.e., the areas in contact with the cigar filler to be treated, extend substantially parallel to the adjacent areas of the conical cigar filler. To insert the cigar filler into the roller nest and subsequently to remove it therefrom after treatment, the four roller pins are swung outwardly in pairs, the two pairs moving symmetrically.

Apparatus are known which have rigid cylindrical, parallel roller pins and which are journaled in parallel on both sides. These roller pins have the same angular speeds as the cigar filler. The roller pins areswung apart in this apparatus in the following manner. The upper rollerpins are hinged and are lifted away from the lower roller pins. In another known embodiment, the roller pins are swung apart in a different manner. A right-hand and a left hand group of roller pins are rotated on a common center of rotation, which is located below the roller pins, in arc-shaped paths. Gnly cylindrical cigars can be produced with these apparatus.

Further apparatus are known for producing cigars which are shaped as flat cones. In these apparatus the cigar filler is rolled into a wrapper in traveling wrapping aprons. Endless traveling aprons of this kind have been described in US. Patent No. 397,510 to Myers. The wrapping aprons are guided by cylindrical rollers. To introduce the cigar filler into the wrapping vaprons, the endless wrapping aprons and the two uppermost cylindrical rollers are conically spread apart in a horizontal plane.

These apparatus have the disadvantage that, due to the conicity of the cigar filler, the rolling aprons are under uneven stress and thus the wrapper does not uniformly contact the cigar filler.

Further apparatus are known for the production of conical cigar fillers, which use rigid bicon'cave or flexible B lhdfidl Patented Get. 2%, 1963 ice There are also apparatus in which biconcave roller pins, or members having geometric shapes complementary to that of the cigar filler, are mounted parallel in upper box parts. In these instances, the upper box part is swung open upwardly on hinges so that the cigar filler can be inserted.

Other apparatus have roller pins which are supported at one end only. Opening of the roller nest to insert the cigar filler between the roller pins is done by means of a disk having slots spiraling toward the center of the disk. These slots spread the roller pins apart. Thereby it is possible to insert the cigar fillers horizontally in the direction of their longitudinal axis between the spread roller pins. It is a disadvantage of this arrangement that in the use of biconcave or flexible roller pins, different peripheral velocities of the cigar filler and of the roller pin result, and thus the wrapper is unevenly applied to the cigar filler.

Other apparatus for the production of conical cigars consists of repeatedly subdivided conical roller pins which are attached by resilient connecting pieces or the like. The ends of the roller pins are mounted in slanting bores. The roller nests are opened 'by swinging the upper roller pins through a circular are around the lower roller pins. This arrangement also has the disadvantage that the conical roller pins which consist of several parts generate different peripheral velocities at certain points of the cigar filler, whereby the wrapper does not evenly contact the cigar filler. Further the necessary slanting arrangement of the bores presents difficulties in manufacture.

According to the present invention, rigid roller pins of geometrical configuration similar to that of the cigar filler are used. To insert a cigar filler into the roller nest, the roller pins are swung apart. The cigar fillers are strongly conical and have a special ball-shaped foot or roller pins with reversed or similar geometrical shapes compared to that of the cigar filler. again arrangedparallelon both sides. Opening of the roller nests for insertion or removal of the filler is frequently accomplished in these apparatus by rotating the upper roller pins in a circular arc around the lower roller pins. Apparatus have also been built in which the upper most roller pins are carried in a frame which is moved upwardly in a circular arc to open the roller nest.

The roller pins are along the cigar filler from its igniting end.

The use of the rigid, conical roller uniform angular velocity at the cigar thus, in a uniform application of the wrapper.

' According to the invention, large peripheral circles of the cigar filler contact large peripheral circles of the roller pins, and small peripheral circles of the cigar filler contact small peripheral circles of the roller pins. Thus, since the tapers of the roller pins and of the cigar filler are substantially equal, the change in peripheral velocity wider end to its narrower end is substantially equal to the change in peripheral velocity along the adjacent areas of the roller pins. Hence the force applied by the roller pins to the cigar filler is directed in a nadial direction as a substantially uniform pressure, and the tangential force, tending to interfere with the satisfactory application of the Wrapper, is minirnized. In other words, the angular velocity which the roller pins impart to the cigar filler is substantially constant throughout the length of the conical cigar filler.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the upper and the lower roller pins are arrmged in vertically aligned pairs on bearings movably supported on L-shaped levers. The ends of the horizontal limbs of the levers swivel around pins in a horizontal plane. The roller pins swivel about flexible joints. The upper roller pins of the roller-pin pairs are maintained .in a substan-' tially horizontal position while the lower roller pins run from the joints toward the hearings in a slightly upward direction so as to conform to the conical shape of the cigar filler. The pins for the L-shaped levers are secured to the structure of the roller nest in vertical alignment with and coaxially under the swivel centers of the respective pairs of joints.

To accomplish the pins results in a filler surface, and,

spacing apart of the roller pin pairs,

the L-shaped levers carry rollers and a wedge-shaped spreader adjustably moves up and down to temporarily separate the rollers. To return the roller pin pairs to their closed operative positions, the L-shaped levers are connected to links which operate similar to a symmetrical drive. The links are coupled to an eye carrying a bolt which is guided in a hearing. A compression spring surrounding the bolt urges the far ends of the links together and thereby causes the L-shaped levers to approach.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for rolling cigar fillers or the like, which are at least partially shaped as cones or as truncated cones.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus which exerts substantially equal pressure on all contacted areas of the cigar filler and which minimizes any differential tangential force.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus in which the rigid roller pins evenly contact the tapering shape of the cigar filler.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus in which the roller pins are substantially similar in shape to the cigar filler, i.e., have similar taper, and in which the narrow ends of the roller pins engage the narrow end of the cigar filler.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus in which the axes of rotation of the roller pins are relatively tilted to be closer at the narrow ends so that the space between the facing areas of the roller pins tapers down toward the narrow ends thereof.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus in which the peripheral speed of the roller pins is substantially proportional to the radius of the cigar filler at the area of contact, whereby disturbing differential tangential forces are eliminated.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus in which the wrapper is evenly applied to the cigar filler.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an appanatus with two pairs of rigid roller pins which are supported to be swung in a horizontal direction outwardly in pairs, the two pairs moving symmetrically.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus in which the roller pins are arranged in vertical pairs on a pair of spaced-apart L-shaped levers which can be swung apart to open the roller nest.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus with a spreader for moving the L-sh-aped levers apart and to spring-load the L-shaped levers towards their approached position.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following specification and the dnaiwing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view, partly in section, of an apparatus for rolling cigar fillers according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of [the apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view similar to FIG. 2, with the upper roller pins omitted, and showing the lower roller pins in open or spread positions; and

FIG. 4 is a cross-section taken on line IVIV of FIG. 2.

Referring now to the drawing, a structural support 1 for the roller nest contains one pair of bores for horizontally spaced driving shafts 2 and 3 of respective upper roller pins 7 (and 6 and a second pair of bores for horizontally spaced driving shafts 4 and (see FIG. 3) of lower roller pins 9 and 8, vertically aligned with the upper pair. The four shafts 2, 3, 4 and 5 are driven by conventional means, for instance by gears (not shown).

All four roller pins 6, 7, 8, and 9 are shaped as truncated cones. The upper roller pins 6, 7 have a smaller diameter at each end than the lower roller pins 8, 9. In their operative positions, FIGS. 1 and 2, the axes of the roller pins 6, 7,, 8, and 9 are relatively tilted so that their opposing sides are substantially parallel to the adjacent sides of a cigar filler 11 clamped therebet'ween (shown in dot-dash lines). For this purpose, the axis of each roller is tilted relative to the axis of the cigar filler by an angle approximately equal to half the apex angle of the respective roller pin plus half the apex angle of the cigar filler. This arrangement assures a substantially equal radial pressure of the roller pins on the cigar filler in spite of its conical shape. Further, no differential tangential forces, or only negligibly small forces, are present to adversely affect the cigar filler.

Flexible joints 10 connect each of the roller pins 6, 7, 8, and 9 with the respective shafts 3, 2, 5, and 4.

The cigar filler 11 is shown in position for rolling in the space intermediate the roller pins 6, 7, 8, and 9. If the roller pins rotate, they impart a rotating motion to the cigar filler 11, the velocity depending on the angular velocities of the roller pins 6, 7, 8, and 9.

Each roller pin 6, 7, and 8 is subdivided into a front portion and a rear portion, the two portions being separated by an annular groove. A bearing 12 engages each annular groove to support the respective roller pins 6, 7, 8 and 9. The bearings 12 are movably supported in pairs on pivotable L-shaped levers 13 by means of pins 27 passing through the levers. As may be seen in FIGS. 2 and 4, the bearings 12 for one set of roller pins 6 and 8 are supported on the left-hand L-shaped lever 13 (as viewed in FIG. 4), and the pair of bearings 12 on the right-hand L-shaped lever 13 supports the other set of roller pins 7 and 9.

The L-shaped levers 13 for the roller nest are pivoted with their end portions 28 on pins 14 disposed coaxialiy with the vertically aligned pairs of flexible joints 10. Each L-shaped lever 13 also carries a bearing 15 for a spreading roller 16. Two such opposed rollers 16, normally closely spaced, are arranged to be spread apart by a wedge 18 with a view to open the roller pins 6, 8 and 7, 9. The L-shaped levers are thus swung outwardly and apart from the positions shown in FIG. 2 to those shown in FIG. 3, and the spreading rollers 16 roll onto the adjacent surfaces 17 of the platform for the roller nest.

The outward swinging motion of the L-shaped levers 13, which carry the roller pins 6, 7, 8, and 9 with them, is thus controlled by the spreader wedge 18. The spreader wedge 18, sliding in a support 19, is reciprocably guided up and down to temporarily separate the spreading rollers 16.

The two L-shaped levers 13 are connected by two hinges 20 to two links 2 1 which are in turn hinged in an eye 22 of a bolt 23 to assure symmetrical motion of the two L-shaped levers 13 [when they are separated. The bolt 23 is guided in a bearing 24.

A compression spring 26 surrounds the bolt 23 between the bearing 24 and a lock nut 25 and urges the roller pins 6, 7, 8, and 9 towards their operative closed-nest positions, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

To operate the apparatus, the roller pins 6, 7, 8, and 9 are moved to their open-nest positions, shown in FIG. 3. A cigar filler 11 is now introduced into the space between the roller pins 6, 7, 8 and 9, and the roller pins are permitted to swing inwardly towards one another to assume their operative closed-nest positions, shown in FIG. 4. This is the case upon retraction of the wedgeshaped spreader 18 from between the rollers 16, and the reaction of compression spring 26 to pull the rod 23 to the left (as viewed in FIGS. 2 and 3). The rod 23 urges the links 21, and with them the two L-shaped levers 13 to the left. The two L-shaped levers 13 turn on the respective pins 14 to approach one another, while the two pairs of roller pins 6, 8 and 7, 9 simultaneously move on their hinges '10 towards their operative positions shown in FIG. 2.

The shafts 2, 3, 4, and 5 of the roller pins 7, 6, 9 and 8 are now rotated by some gearing or the like, not shown, to roll the cigar filler 11 for a desired interval of time.

After completion of the rolling operation, the spreader Wedge 18 is moved upwardly to separate the L-shaped levers 13 and the roller pins 6, 7, 8, and 9,-to release the cigar filler 11.

It should be understood that the foregoing disclosure relates to a preferred embodiment of the invention, and that it is intended to cover all changes and modifications of the embodiment described which do not constitute a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

'What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for rolling cigar fillers or the like being shaped as cones or truncated cones, comprising rigid roller pins having a taper in the same direction as said cigar tillers, a pair of L-shaped levers pivotally mounted to move simultaneously and symmetrically towards and away lflOITl one another, two bearings on each said L- shaped lever for rotatably supporting said roller pins, and means including a flexible swivable joint to drive each said roller pin, each said joint being swivable in the pivot axis of the L-shaped lever on which the respective roller pin is mounted.

2. An apparatus for rolling cigar fillers as defined in claim 1, further comprising two spaced rollers rotatably supported on said L-shaped levers, and a substantially vertically reciprocable spreader movable into and out of the space between said rollers, whereby said rollers and said L-shaped levers are forced apart as said spreader enters said space.

3. An apparatus for rolling cigar fillers as defined in claim 1, further comprising two links connected to said L-shaped levers, a rod, said links being hinged to the same end of said rod, and a compression spring surrounding said rod and urging the same in a direction away from said links so as to bias the latter toward one another.

4. An apparatus for rolling tapered cigar fillers or the like, comprising two horizontally aligned pairs of vertically spaced-apart tapered roller pins, means swingable on vertical axes for supporting said roller-pin pairs, and means for moving said supporting means about said vertical axes simultaneously so as to displace said roller pins in each of the roller-pin pairs between adjacent working positions and spaced inoperative positions outwardly from said working positions, thereby providing access to the space between said roller-pin pairs, the displacements of said roller pins occurring in substantially horizontal straight planes, the small ends of said roller pins being closer together than their wider ends when they assume said working positions. 7

5. An apparatus =for rolling cigar fillers as defined in claim 4, wherein the cigar fillers to be rolled have conical longitudinal sections, and wherein said tapered roller pins are shaped as cones having an angle of conicity substantially equal to that of said cigar fillers.

6. An apparatus for rolling cigar fillers as defined in claim 4, wherein each supporting means includes substantially horizontally pivotable lever means and bearings for said roller pins secured to said lever means, further comprising drive means for rotating said roller pins including swivable joint means for each of said roller pins, the joint means for each roller-pin pair being substantially vertically aligned with the pivot axis of the lever means upon which the respective pair of roller pins is mounted.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 281,517 Kelsey July 17, 1883 340,741 Tanner Apr. 27, 1886 664,949 Herbert Jan. 1, 1901 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,108 Great Britain of 1852 1,220,705 France Ian. 4, 1960 

1. AN APPARATUS FOR ROLLING CIGAR FILLERS OR THE LIKE BEING SHAPED AS CONES OR TRUNCATED CONES, COMPRISING RIGID ROLLER PINS HAVING A TAPER IN THE SAME DIRECTION AS SAID CIGAR FILLERS, A PAIR OF L-SHAPED LEVERS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED TO MOVE SIMULTANEOULSY AND SYMMETRICALLY TOWARDS AND AWAY FROM ONE ANOTHER, TWO BEARINGS ON EACH SAID LSHAPED LEVER FOR ROTATABLY SUPPORTING SAID ROLLER PINS, AND MEANS INCLUDING A FLEXIBLE SWIVABLE JOINT TO DRIVE EACH SAID ROLLER PIN, EACH SAID JOINT BEING SWIVABLE IN THE PIVOT AXIS OF THE L-SHAPED LEVER ON WHICH THE RESPECTIVE ROLLER PIN IS MOUNTED. 